Hourglass
by Jazzyfizzle98
Summary: When Shaw killed Valerie's parents, she vowed to get her revenge. Joining forces with Erik, the two become a powerful duo and grow to care for each other greatly. Set in the X-Men First Class universe and will eventually go into Days of Future past.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**A/N: I know this chapter doesn't contain much action because I just wanted to introduce my OC, Valerie. Please leave reviews and suggestions. Enjoy!**

"_Don't be afraid, I would never kill a fellow mutant," Shaw said, adjusting the cuffs on his suit jacket. He walked over to the young girl sitting on the floor, her face drenched in tears. Ashes that were her parents just moments ago, fluttered throughout the room. She trembled in fear as he approached slowly with long steps. He knelt before her and gently took a hold of her chin then lifted her face so she was looking him in the eyes. _

_ "I have a feeling I will see you again one day," he said with a strangely friendly smile. He released her chin and tucked a strand of hair behind her head before standing up. The young girl watched as he walked out of the room casually and she heard the front door close as he left the house._

_ The girl sat in the same spot for quite a while, struggling to take in what had happened. In just under an hour she had become an orphan and allowed the man responsible for her parent's death to simply walk away. She swept her hand across the floor and looked at the ash in her palm. A sickening feeling rose in her stomach and she thought she was going to vomit. She frantically rubbed her parent's remains off her hand and stood up. The world around her seemed to be spinning and she hugged her head tightly to keep from passing out. Hot tears began to fall down her cheeks and a powerful energy began to radiate from her. The power flooded through her body rapidly as she struggled to contain it. She released a deafening scream as the energy exploded from her body. The walls around her burst apart and the entire house collapsed around the girl. _

Valerie shot up in her bed, gasping for breath. She put her hand to her chest and felt her heart beating incredibly fast. Focusing on controlling her breathing, Valerie threw the blankets off of her and stood up. She walked past the other bed, where Erik slept quietly, and into the bathroom. She turned the light on and stared at her reflection in the mirror as she forced herself to calm down. Valerie's black frizzy hair fell over her shoulders in a knotted mess. She must have been tossing and turning a lot in bed before her dream finally woke her up. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was beginning to develop bags under her eyes. She used to have blue eyes but her iris's had turned white with black borders when her powers first manifested.

That terrible memory of her parents being murdered before her eyes had been haunting her dreams since the day it happened three years ago. The evil smile Shaw had given her before he left her home was an image she would never forget. His casual attitude at killing her parents filled her with a fury she struggled to control. Valerie turned on the sink and rubbed cold water on her face.

"Valerie?" Erik said from the open bathroom doorway. He leaned against the frame, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Sorry," Valerie said, running her hands through her hair, "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm fine, I just can't sleep."

"Was it the same dream?" He asked taking a step forward.

"Yeah," she told him, turning off the water.

"Come here," Erik said quietly, his arms outstretched. Valerie through herself into him and he wrapped his arms around her. She gently sobbed into his chest and Erik just held her tightly to him.

"I miss them," Valerie whimpered, "I miss them so much."

"I know," Erik replied. The two stood in their embrace for a few more moments until Valerie was too exhausted to cry anymore. She'd had so many sleepless nights recently that fatigue was starting to get the best of her. Erik felt her arms loosening around him and he knew that she needed sleep desperately. He lifted her up easily and carried her back to her bed. He put her down gently and pulled the blankets back over her. She pulled them closer to her with a soft sigh and drifted peacefully to sleep.

"Goodnight," he whispered, kissing the teenager on her forehead. He turned off the bathroom light and got back into his bed. In the dark hotel room Erik stared at the sketch of Klaus Schmidt or as he was now known, Sabastian Shaw. The picture hung among many other papers that showed Erik and Valerie's struggle to track the man who had caused each of them so much pain. Erik had known Valerie was special from the day he first met her but he never thought he would grow to care for her as much as he did now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**A/N: I know this chapter is slow but I really wanted to establish Valerie's powers. Next chapter we will get to see her in action. Enjoy and please review, any suggestions on how to make the story better are welcome. **

Erik strolled past Valerie sleeping silently in her bed and over to the large window next to her. He wore freshly ironed tan dress pants with a white button down shirt. His hair was brushed neatly and his face was clean shaven. He pulled back the curtains and the morning sunshine poured into the hotel room. Valerie moaned as the light hit her face. She rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head.

"Erik, you know I hate the sun," she mumbled from under the comforter.

"Good morning to you too," he replied with a gentle chuckle. With a huff Valerie pulled down the blankets and glared at Erik. He looked at her tired expression and messy hair and couldn't help but be amused. "Aren't we just a ray of sunshine?"

"Ha ha," Valerie said sarcastically as she rubbed her eyes, "I'm seriously exhausted."

"Understandable considering you barely slept last night," Erik told her.

"Oh yeah," She mumbled, "Did I wake you up again? All I remember is waking up and turning on the sink."

"I held you while you cried in the bathroom and when you were ready I put you back to bed," he answered casually. He sat on his bed and slipped on his brown dress shoes and began tying the laces.

"Thank you," she replied with a soft smile. She felt her heart warm as she remembered Erik's kindness last night. It reminded Valerie of her mother singing her to sleep when she was a little girl. "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes, there is a taxi waiting for me downstairs," he answered, standing up then sitting back down at the edge of Valerie's bed, "Are you sure you don't want to come with me to Argentina?"

"I'm sure," she said confidently, sitting up to be level with Erik "I think we should each follow our own leads, cover more ground, you know?"

"I just worry about you going out to track a dangerous man on your own. Plus, if what you saw is true, then Shaw is traveling with other mutants as well," Erik explains.

"Erik, don't worry about me, I'm not just some helpless kid," Valerie said with a shrug.

"I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but just remember you are only one person. Don't let revenge cloud your judgment," Erik paused and took Valerie's hand in his own, "promise me you won't take on anything you can't handle alone. You know where to find me if you have to."

"I promise," She replied, "we'll meet back here in five days and everything will be fine."

"Okay," Erik said, standing up. He felt a bit reassured of Valerie's safety but was still wary of their splitting up. "I will see you soon."

"See you soon," Valerie responded as Erik put on his hat and jacket and promptly left the hotel room.

She sighed loudly and fell back on to the bed, still tired. Not being with Erik was a strange feeling. Not only did she feel alone but she felt strangely vulnerable without him. Despite her own mutant abilities, Valerie felt weak without Erik to protect her. Since her parent's death, Erik had become her guardian and only friend.

Valerie leaned over to the bedside table and picked up the hotel phone. She ordered bacon and eggs for breakfast from room service. She then got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. After brushing her hair and teeth, Valerie focused on making herself older. It was part of her mutation that Valerie could control and distort time. This included being able to age her physical body at will. Suddenly, the fifteen year old grew to what she would look like in five years in a matter of seconds. Valerie beamed at her new appearance in the mirror and flipped her hair that was now much longer. Her pajamas fit differently now, with her t-shirt showing her midriff and her shorts being a bit too tight.

Another part of Valerie's powers were the ability to reverse and temporarily pause time around her. She found it difficult to actual stop time and it really drained her energy to do so. The ability had actually saved her life in the past. After her parent's death, Valerie was living on the streets. She needed money desperately and was robbing the home a wealthy couple in Germany. The police showed up and in a panic Valerie's telekinetic powers threw one of the cop cars into the air. One of the officers fired at her and it would have struck her directly in her chest had she not stopped it inches from her. She will never forget the man's shocked expression as she picked up the bullet and let it fall to the ground.

During that time when she had first been orphaned, Valerie was searching for the metal controlling mutant she had seen in Shaw's past. When he had touched her chin three years ago she had visions of his past for the next few days as she tried to uncover something that she could use to find him. Valerie knew her key to revenge was finding the powerful young boy Shaw had tortured during the holocaust.

Valerie also had telekinetic powers that could grow unstable if her emotions get out of control. On the day she met Shaw, it was her explosive telekinesis that destroyed her home. She tried to use this part of her powers as little as possible because she was afraid she might hurt those around her. There was a knock at the door of the hotel room and Valerie walked over and opened it. A young man stood in his hotel uniform with a food cart in front of him.

"Good morning," the man said, taking in her revealing outfit with raised eyebrows, "I brought you your breakfast beautiful," he removed a tray from the lower shelf and held it out to her.

"Thanks," she said accepting the food. She reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out a couple bills as a tip for the man.

"Generous and beautiful," he said as he pocketed the money, "what's your name?"

"Valerie," she replied.

"I'm Sean. How old are you Valerie?" He asked taking a step forward.

"Oh, um," Valerie looked down at herself and wondered what age she looked like, "like twenty one I guess." Sean looked a little confused at her response but he quickly recovered his cool demeanor.

"Okay perfect," He said with a smile, "What do you say to a drink tonight after I get off?"

"No thanks," She replied, "I'm too young to drink." She moved to close the door and Sean's face fell.

"But you're-" He was cut off by the door closing in front of him. Valerie heard him mutter something angrily to himself before moving down the hall with the food cart.

She giggled to herself and changed back into her fifteen year old self. She sat down on her bed and began eating her breakfast. Valerie opened up the bedside table drawer and picked up her passport, airline ticket, and a sealed envelope Erik had left her. She nearly choked on her bacon when she saw a pile of hundred dollar bills inside of it. She laughed in disbelief as she counted out thousands of dollars. The teen had no idea where Erik got so much money but decided to not question it.

Her flight to Nevada was not for another five hours so Valerie began to pack up her stuff. She had a strange feeling that something terrible was going to happen there.


End file.
